I think there is always a point where every friendship is tested, every marriage faces a challenge. I found this murder particularly gruesome and the primary suspect can't even defend himself. How far would I go to clear my husband or my brother's name? I'm not sure I can answer that, but Julia and Sienna are facing just this. I really enjoyed the female friendship between the ladies. I found the twists to be unexpected and the book to be fast paced.

If you love crime novels, this will definitely please.

Thicker Than Water
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Megan Collins

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law, connected by Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother, Jason. More than that, the two are devoted best friends and business partners, believing that theirs is a uniquely unbreakable bond. To Sienna, her protective brother can do no wrong, and although Julia knows he’s not perfect, they’ve built a comfortable life and family together. Recently, Jason has been putting in long hours to secure a promotion at work, so when his boss is found brutally murdered—his lips sewn shut—the Larkins are shocked and unsettled, especially as local gossip swirls.

A few days later, Julia and Sienna’s lives are upended when Jason gets into a car accident and is placed in a medically induced coma. Worse, the police arrive with news that he’s the prime suspect in the murder investigation. With Jason unable to respond—and with Julia and Sienna working to clear his name—the two women find their friendship threatened for the first time: Sienna staunchly maintains her brother’s innocence, but as their investigation uncovers a complicated web of secrets, Julia is less sure she’s willing to defend her husband.

My Thoughts: This moody and atmospheric psychological novel will keep you on your toes. This is a slow burn novel. Julia and Sienna are not only related by Julia marrying Sienna’s brother, but they are best friends and business partners, they compliment each other. Jason, Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother, is involved in a series accident where the medical team had to a medically induced coma. Right before this, Jason’s boss is murdered. The detective suspects Jason in the murder, so much so, that he has a police on his door at the hospital and plans to arrest him when he wakes from the medically induced coma. Julia and Sienna go rogue and do their own investigation when Sienna feels like her brother is being set up to take the fall for the murder.

The story is narrated by Julia and Sienna in a dual narration, from their respective perspectives. Julia is more calm and reserved, insecure, and logical. Julia struggles to find her voice and stand in her truth. Sienna is vocal and very angry, reactive, instead of proactive, and tends to be quick to rush to judgement, especially concerning her brother. I struggled with Sienna’s character, seeing past the evidence, and only in black and white, with no grey, ever. Sienna was a tad annoying at times, but both of the characters had tremendous character growth throughout the story. The characters were well developed with mystery, flawed, realistic, banter, intriguing, and creative. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, twisty, and kept me invested until the end. Some of the middle seemed a bit repetitive and sometimes unnecessary. The characters were built up throughout the novel, the plot is delivered in twisty layers, somewhat predicible, and the ending wrapped everything up nicely in a bow.

This was a compelling, gripping, keep you on your toes thriller. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I would read future novels by Collins. I would recommend to other readers.

Could you imaging sewing someone's lips shut? Now imagine that person actually deserving it. What could someone possibly have done to warrant being murdered and having the lips seen shut? Well, you're gonna find out, but after a lot of other chaos comes to light. I really enjoyed this one. Lots of Secrets to uncover.

I mean, who doesn't love a family drama? I most certainly devoured this one. I was hooked in pretty quickly and kept guessing until the end. It was a classic "who done it" but I thoroughly enjoy that in books. It was more of a mystery than a thriller however, with all the drama, secrets, deceit etc. it will definitely keep you engaged. I loved the plot, the pace and the character development in this one. It is easily a good quick read.

Thicker Than Water explores the concept of found families. Julia & Sienna are friends first, and in-laws second. Their bond is stronger than sisters, stronger than friends. But can those bonds stick through the family linkage? When a husband/brother is suspected of murder, one has doubts while the other has blind loyalties. It's an intense back-and-forth perspective, leaving the reader suspicious of everyone and scrambling to figure out whose side they're on.
The author has done an excellent job in touching on certain themes and topics. The dynamic between the sisters-in-law, sexual harassment, boundaries, the blurred lines between right and wrong, speaking up, and the complex emotions of teens.

I really enjoyed this one and I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Thicker than Water" by Megan Collins was such a gripping book that I couldn't stop reading! It was my first dive into Megan Collins' writing, and wow, what a thrilling introduction.

The best part? The story had me guessing right up until the very end. Megan Collins weaves a suspenseful narrative that keeps you on your toes, and I loved every minute of it.

I also enjoyed the flexibility of switching between audio and ebook formats based on my mood and surroundings. It made the experience even more dynamic by reading the ebook and also simultaneously listening to the audio. The dysfunctional family dynamics and the alternating voices between two key characters added depth to the story, making it all the more engrossing.

Megan Collins seems to have a knack for blending family drama with psychological suspense, and "Thicker than Water" was an absolute treat. I'm eagerly looking forward to exploring more of her works. If you're a fan of mystery and thriller novels, don't miss this one—it's a must-listen and must-read. Megan Collins is definitely an author to keep on your radar!

Thanks to Atria books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Julia and Sienna are best friends, business partners, and sisters-in-law. Julia's husband, Jason, is Sienna's brother. When Jason's boss is murdered and Jason is put into a medically induced coma, the police identify him as the prime suspect.

As Julia and Sienna try to prove his innocence, Julia becomes less sure she can defend him. Soon these best friends have opposing views of exactly what Jason did.

Colins perfectly captured the dynamic of female friendships in this one. While I was invested in finding out if Jason actually committed murder, I was even more invested in Julia and Sienna's bond.

I think there was a good mystery in there somewhere but it got lost in the friendship between the two women. And honestly, I didn’t care for either character.

This was a fine mystery but I found it to be a bit lackluster at times. I wanted to finish so I pushed through. I look forward to other titles from this author. Thank you to the publisher for an ARC copy.

I had high hopes for this book but i couldnt get into the story. The main character was not likeable and i couldnt finish the book.

3.5 ⭐️’s
Julia and Sienna are not only close friends, but sisters in law as well. Owning a business together has brought them even closer, but they are both not sharing everything about their lives. When Julia’s husband is involved in an accident shortly after his boss is murdered, he soon becomes a suspect. Sienna has always looked up to her brother and in her eyes can do nothing wrong, but with the evidence mounting, Julia isn’t so sure and is soon questioning everything. Delving in Julia and Sienna learn things that only put Jason is a worse light, but being in a coma makes it a bit difficult to ask the questions that Julia needs answered. As the evidence stacks up and the police are only looking at Jason, the two women are at odds. Will their friendship weather the test or have they both been betrayed by the person they so desperately love. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This is a slow burn but worth it! Sienna and Julia are sister in laws who are also best friends and run a business together. This book is told from two POVs. What would you do to find out what happened to your brother/husband? Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an ARC

What happens to family members when they are at odds with each other? When sisters-in-law Julia and Sienna begin to doubt each other’s views when Julia’s husband, and Sienna’s brother Jason is in a coma and accused of murder, their different opinions of his innocence or guilt pull at their relationship. Megan Collins knows how to write a good thriller, and this one doesn’t disappoint.

Thicker than Water by Megan Collins is a mystery/ thriller consumed with secrets, lies and trauma destined to tear a family apart, but will it? Sienna and Jason are brother and sister who live in the small town of Willow Creek. Jason marries Julia and introduces her to his sister and they become fast best friends and business partners. Julia is pregnant with Aiden which initiated the quick marriage . 15 years pass.
Sisters in laws, best friends put to the ultimate test when tragedy hits and their relationship is challenged by assumptions and things left unsaid. . Jason’s boss is murdered and Jason becomes a prime suspect but before he is informed he is in a terrible car accident leaving him in a coma! Sienna has an untethered view of her brother placing him on a pedestal. As evidence is discovered, doubt envelopes Julia putting severe anguish on their friendship.
Deceit and secrets play a vital role in how the girls are reacting to the truths that unfold. Sienna is determined to plead her brothers innocence no matter what while Julia is struggling to come to the same conclusion. Aiden, now a teenager is struggling with things he has seen and heard not knowing how to handle what’s happening. What would one do if someone they love is accused and the evidence seemed insurmountable? As Julia and Sienna take a different stance , what will become of their relationship? Will families and relationships find their way back?
Truths will be told ! Justice will be served !

I RECOMMEND this book for anyone who enjoys a mystery. I enjoyed it, kept me interested and took me only a couple days to read. The title is appropriate and fitting! Despite the heavy mystery and “who done it”, it has heartfelt moments filled with hope bringing it full circle. Filled with emotion, this is an entertaining read.

Thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this ARC for an honest review!

This was a slow burn, but a good thriller that I really enjoyed reading! I look forward to reading more books from Megan Collins! Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc early!

A slow burn but when that plot hits man does it hit hard. Unputdownable is too light a word for this novel!

This book touched on the relationship between family — both blood and marriage. I really enjoyed hearing from both points of view Julia - Jason’s wife and Sienna - Jason’s sister, There were many plot twists and both points of view kept me interested

I sat on this review for too long. I couldn’t decide how I actually felt about this book. I was really excited to read a thriller since it’s been so long. But this read was less than thrilling.

Reasons this book wasn’t for me:
🖤 The tension of a thriller was missing
🖤 Events were chaotic for no reason
🖤 I found the characters annoying and immature
🖤 I wanted everyone to be guilty - no one was lovable
🖤 Nothing about it was surprising

I usually would DNF a book that I disliked this much. But this one was like a train wreck I couldn’t look away from.

As always Megan gives us a great tale. Loved this one so much. The complex characters and their relationships. I had a hard time trying to figure it all out and was pleasantly surprised when I was wrong! Megan is one of my go to authors for sure!

Ah, a slow burn! A good one though. I really enjoy Megan Collins style of writing, and this one was great. If love a good domestic thriller, pick this one up.